Decatur's mayor-elect shares his vision for the future

A new mayor will lead Decatur into the future after voters make it clear they are ready for a change. (Source: WAFF Staff)

DECATUR, AL (WAFF) -

A new mayor will lead Decatur into the future after voters make it clear they are ready for a change. Tab Bowling defeated incumbent mayor Don Kyle by a substantial margin winning 75 percent of the vote. In fact, Bowling won every precinct in Decatur during Tuesday’s runoff election.

During a live interview Wednesday morning on WAFF 48 News Today, Bowling attributed his strong showing to a grassroots campaign and his campaign’s extensive use of social media.

Bowling says, one of his top priorities as mayor will be job creation since more than 65 percent of the people in Decatur are living in poverty. Bowling says he wants to focus on the 18-24 age group since too many of them are unemployed and underemployed.

Bowling told WAFF 48, he’s hopeful many people in that age group will enroll at Calhoun Community College after qualifying for federal funding. Bowling said, “Some students are meant for college. Just because you’re in poverty doesn’t mean you’re not intelligent! But those that are not meant for college are certainly capable of becoming or entering a much needed skilled workforce.”

Bowling added, Decatur is fortunate to be located near the University of Alabama in Huntsville which he compared to great engineering schools like MIT.

Bowling says Decatur students have great opportunities in front of them since UAH offers an entrepreneurial center. Decatur’s mayor-elect says that center functions like a business incubator for innovators who want to develop cutting edge technology. Bowling will start his four-year term as Decatur’s new mayor when he’s sworn in on November 7.

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